Merry-go-round.



Inventor Attorneys PATENTED DEC. 25, 1906.

O. F. ORRIUK. .MERRY-=GO-ROUND.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 27. 1905.

marzwz' ms mmms PETERS cu. WASHINGTON. u, c.

CHARLES F. ORRIGK, OF MOUNT VERNON, ILLINOIS.

MERRY-GO-ROUND.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 25, 1906.

Application filed November 27. 1905. Serial No. 28 9.329.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES F. ORRICK, a citizen of the United States,residing at Mount Vernon, in the county of Jefferson and State ofIllinois, have invented a new and useful Merry-Go-Round, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of amusement apparatus known asmerry-gorounds, wherein a plurality of supports for the riders arecaused to revolve about a central member or mast, and has for its objectto simplify and improve the construction and increase the efficiency andutility of devices of this character.

I/Vith these and other objects in view, which will appear as the natureof the invention is better understood, the same consists in certainnovel features of construction, as hereinafter fully described andclaimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification andin which corresponding parts are denoted by like designating characters,is illustrated the preferred form of the embodiment of the inventioncapable of carrying the same into practical operation, it beingunderstood that the invention is not necessarily limited thereto, asvarious changes in the shape, proportions, and general assemblage of theparts may be resorted to without departing from the principle of theinvention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

In the drawings thus employed, Figure 1 is a perspective view of theimproved apparatus. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of theseat-frames detached. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail of theratchet-and-pawl mechamsm.

The improved device comprises a mast or central support 10, having anenlarged lower end 11 for embedding in the ground, (represented at 12,)the enlargement forming a shoulder upon which a sleeve or hub 13 isrotatively mounted.

Guy rods or cables 22 are connected at one end to the upper end of themast 10, and with the other ends secured in the ground, as by stakes 23,at a suflicient distance from the mast for the swing members to passbeneath them, as hereinafter explained.

The guy members when formed of rods will be provided with turnbuckles 24or other means for providing the requisite tension.

Radiating from the central member 13 are arms 14, having seats 15 upontheir free ends, the seats each formed from a single sheet of metalpressed into the required shape with a foot rest 16 at one end and aback-rest 17 at the other end.

The seat members are bolted or otherwise secured to the arms 14 andprovided with rolls at the ends for bearing over rods bent into the formrepresented in Fig. 2, the end portions 18 19 for engagement by therolls, and the side portions 20 21 serving as arm rests and guards tothe ends of the seat.

Supporting-rods 35 are connected at one end to a collar 36 upon the mast10 and at the other end at 37 to the outer arm rest or guard portions ofthe seats, the rods extending vertically for a distance from the seats,as shown, so that the rods will not endanger the heads of the occupantsof the seats or an'noy them in any manner. This makes a very simple,strong, and durable seat structure, inexpensive to manufacture, andwhich is comfortable and safe for the occupant.

Attached rigidly to the mast member 10 near the hub 13 is a sleeve 25,having a ratchet-edged disk 26 centrally thereon, and mounted to rotateupon this sleeve at opposite sides of the ratchet member are spacedlever members 27 28, having a spacer member 29 between them, and alsosupporting a pawl 30 between them by a pivot 31, the free end of thepawl for engaging the teeth of the ratchet member.

A s ring 32 is riveted or otherwise connecte to the spacer member 29 forbearing upon the pawl and holding it yieldably in engagement with theratchet member.

The lever members 27 28 do not extend far enough to be engaged by theseats as they rotate, and pivoted at 33 to swing between the free endsof the lever members is an arm or handle 34, which extends within reachof the occupants of the seat, as in full lines in Fig. 1, when required,or foldable against the lever members when not required, as in dottedlines in the same figure. By this simple arrangement the occupant of oneof the seats by grasping the handle portion 34 of the lever member andpulling on the same will cause the arms and the seats and hub connectedtherewith to rotate about the mast, and when the stroke is complete thelever and its attachments will be carried around the mast with therotating portion of the structure, so that the occupant of the seat byalternately drawing the handle toward him self and then pushing away thesame will rapidly rotate the hub, arms, and the seats thereon.

When the requisite speed is attained, the handle is released and thrownaround into the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1.

IVhen the motion begins to slacken, it is an easy matter for theoccupants of one of the seats to grasp the handle and repeat theoperation as long as required.

In practice one of the seat occupants will retain the handle and pullthe same toward himself at frequent intervals or often enough tomaintain the requisite speed, and when wearied relinquish the same forthe occupant of another of the seats, who can pick up the handlewithoutstopping the device.

The supporting-rods 35 may be utilized to support a canopy or as a reelfor drying clothes, if required.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is 1. In an apparatusof the class described, a vertical mast having a shoulder near the lowerend, a hub rotative on said mast and bearing upon said shoulder, armsradiating from said hub and carrying seats at the free ends, a sleevefast to the mast and provided with a ratchet-disk centrally thereon,spaced lever members rotative upon said sleeve at opposite sides of saidratchetdisk, a spacerblock connecting said lever members a pawl pivotedbetween said lever members, for engaging said ratchet-disk, a springconnected to said spacer member for bearing upon said pawl," and ahandle connected to' swing between the free ends of said lever membersand foldable with the same when not in use.

2. In an apparatus of the class described, a vertical mast having ashoulder near the lower end, a hub rotative on said mast and bearingupon said shoulder, arms radiating from said hub and carrying seatsat-the free ends, a ratchet member rigidly connected to said mast, alever-arm swinging around said mast and carrying a. pawl-spring operatedfor engaging said ratchet member, and a handle swinging from the freeend of said lever member and foldable therewith when not in use.

3. In an apparatus of the class described, a vertical mast having ashoulder near the lower end, a hub rotative on said mast and bearingupon said shoulder, arms radiating from said hub and carrying seats atthe free ends, a collar upon the mast and spaced above saidhub,supporting-r0ds connected at one end to said collar and at the'otherends to the outer sides of said seats, with the portions next the seatsextending vertically, a ratchet member connected to said mast alever-arm swinging around said mast, and carrying a pawl-spring operatedfor engaging said ratchet, and a handle swinging from the free end ofsaid lever and foldable therewith I when not in use. p

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses. A

CHARLES F. ORRICK. Witnesses J. V. HYRE, J. W. SMEE.

